Project information

Helping people to set up a home

We run three furniture re-use projects, passing on good quality furniture, electrical and household goods to those in need in the local community. To do this, we need to cover the cost of running 4 vehicles collecting in unwanted goods and delivering to those who desperately need these goods.

Charity information: The Newbury Community Resource Centre Limited

Need

The need for our services is greater than ever, and in the last year we had 57,340 people through our doors, passed on 49,103 items, and made 7,398 collections and deliveries. We want to ensure we always have a supply of good quality, safe, essential goods - such as beds, tables, sofas, cookers and washing machines, and that we can get these quickly and efficiently to those who need them the most. £800 will keep one of our vehicles on the road for a month.

Solution

To do this, we have 4 vehicles collecting and delivering goods within West Berkshire, and parts of Hampshire and Oxfordshire. Our dedicated van crews share our belief that our customers deserve the best quality furniture and household goods available, delivered the next day when ever possible. When we have emergency situations, our crews work many extra hours to ensure that beds and basic essentials are provided.

Impact

The impact of the recession has meant additional demand from those who have not traditionally used our services, eg those working but on a low wage, and those made redundant. We are seeing high levels of demand for costly goods such as fridges and washing machines. We need to be able to meet and react to these changing needs, enabling families to surivie these difficult economic times, and help prevent cycles of debt.

Risk

There is a risk that we could experience a drop in donations leading to a lack of available items to pass on to those in need. We have shown an ability to react to increased demand by increasing supply - most recently through the opening of a donation point at our local household waste recycling centre, and through more efficiency (and therefore a higher pass rate) in our electrical testing department.

Reporting

We provide regular reports back on the progress of the project, detailing current and planned activities, and achievement against targets. These are usually six monthly, but we are always flexible as to a donor's wishes.

Beneficiaries

Why Us?

We are in our 12th year of offering our services as a furniture re-use charity to the local community, and in that time have expanded from operating out of a garage to running 3 furniture re-use projects with nearly 60,000 people through our doors, as well as a volunteer training centre, with over 400 volunteers involved in our activities.